Ride 'em Cowboy
by DawnTwilight
Summary: Jess shares one of her passions and Sam is just trying to hang on.


Notes: Summer of Sam Love 2012 Day 13

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Jess looked up from brushing and grooming the chestnut mare...her name was Whitney, if Sam had remembered correctly.

His girlfriend looked so relaxed...free from worry and school work and studying and passing grades, enjoying the beginnings of their summer break.

Her blue eyes sparkled and shined when their eyes met, filled with excitement and a promise of a fun afternoon spent together.

Sam had to admit though; he was a tad bit nervous.

He had never been around horses, not like Jess had been while growing up and the horse that he was currently grooming, was suppose to saddle and take out to exercise, was enormous, its head was well above Sam's and he was nearly twice the size of the mare Jess was saddling.

Doc looked like a Clydesdale, like the breed on the Budweiser beer cartons, dark brown with a broad back, his head square and wide. He had white markings and feathering on his lower legs, but Jess had called him something else...some sort of work horse.

Sam finished running the brush over Doc's side, smiling when Doc lowered his head for some pets and a treat.

The Shady Draw Ranch was a few hours from their home, but the drive had been relaxing...beautiful country side and blue skies and Jess hadn't stopped talking about their plans for the day, her happy chattering blocking out the one decent radio channel he had been able to find, but that was fine, because he had preferred to listen to Jess' soft lilt over Nickleback anyway.

And so Sam found himself looking forward to doing something that he might never consider doing on his own.

Once Jess' horse was ready, she came over to help Sam and together they flipped the saddle up and onto Doc's wide back. He held the thing in place while Jess adjusted and tightened the straps and Sam silently worried that the saddle wouldn't be tight enough and that soon he would be taking a header off a huge horse.

"I'm going to go get the helmets," Jess said, leaving Sam to wait.

He sat on an old worn and wooden bench, watching a few outdoor cats watching him from their perch high in the horse barn.

Jess handed him his head gear and he put it on, feeling a little ridicules, but better safe than sorry.

Jessica cooed and patted Whitney, feeding her some treats from a bucket and then planted the toe of her boot into the stirrup, pulling up on the saddle horn and swinging her leg up and over, sitting comfortably in the saddle.

"You ready, Sam?"

He nodded, even though he had no idea what the hell he was doing.

She gave a little kick and Whitney ambled closer to him, Jess looking down at him with a tiny frown. "You don't have to do this, you know? I know I volunteered both of us, but you don't have to ride if you don't want."

And he did know, but Jess loved riding, had loved horses since she was a little girl and she wanted to share that love with Sam.

And Sam wanted that...he wanted to share all that he could about himself too. "I want to, baby," he assured her. "Just tell me what to do."

And the little frown that marred her beautiful brow lifted. Her features smoothed out as Sam stood and waited for instruction.

The owner, Jenna Draw, guided Doc over to a set of steps by his reins. There was a platform at the top and she told Sam, "Step on up, cowboy."

He climbed the three risers while Jenna lined Doc up with the platform, the saddle near Sam's hip and all he would have to do was swing his leg over.

Jenna told him to do just that and then she flipped the reins up and over the huge horse's head, making sure Sam had a good hold on them. She made sure the stirrups were the right length while saying, "Use both hands on the reins, Sam. Pull gently to the right or left to tell him which way you want him to go, back gently for him to stop."

Sam felt a little off balance as she let him go, and Doc took a couple of large steps toward Jess on Whitney. "Keep you heels down, okay? Light taps with your feet will get him going and keep him behind Whitney and he'll follow along, he might be a lot bigger, but Whitney is in charge around here."

Sam clung to the saddle horn or whatever it was called as Doc took a few more trotting steps toward the alpha female and then they were off.

The horses were used to the path and Sam found he hardly had to direct Doc, but every once in awhile, his massive head would dip down and he would take some time to eat some grass or wild flowers and no matter how hard Sam pulled up, Doc would ignore him until Jess would circle back and Doc would become more interested in Whitney than his snack.

"You look good up there," Jess called over her shoulder as the horses ambled on.

He still felt a little off balance, but the land was fairly flat and he was getting more comfortable on his perch. "You're looking good yourself…you're a natural."

She pulled Whitney to a stop and Doc walked up beside his mate, bumping into the smaller horse with his head.

Jess' hair looked more golden in the bright sun and Sam wanted to reach out and touch it, touch her. She took his offered hand, tapping Whitney in the sides with her heels to get her moving again and Doc followed along, side by side.

A little later Jess asked, "Ready to gallop," tapping Whitney again, taking up the reins with both hands and Doc took off too, his big strides bouncing Sam up and off the saddle, but he kept pace with Whitney. "Ride 'em cowboy," Jess called over her shoulder and Sam laughed, trying to keep his legs slightly bend and his butt from hitting the saddle with each bouncing step.

They rode for hours, taking the well worn paths and letting the horse graze once they reached the paddocks.

Getting down was easier then he had thought, taking one toe out of the stirrup and swinging his leg over, then taking the other foot out and just dropping down until he landed in the lush grass.

Jess was already taking off Whitney's saddle, leading her by the reins to the water trough.

She patted the horse on her hind quarters, smiling over at Sam and then Sam thought, he could imagine them driving here every weekend, mucking the stales and brushing the horses, feeding and exercising and riding off into the sunset...and anything else Jess wanted to do.

They had time...

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